Gender Equality and Discrimination in Asia and the Pacific

Gender discrimination costs lives. Close to 100 million women in Asia are estimated to be 'missing' because of discriminatory treatment in access to health and nutrition, pure neglect, or pre-birth sex selection. Here are 12 things to know about gender equality in Asia and the Pacific.

In South Asia, more women die in childbirth - 500 for every 100,000 live births - than in any other part of the world except Sub-Saharan Africa. The proportion of deliveries attended by skilled birth attendants is as low as 18% in Bangladesh, 19% in Nepal, and 20% in the Lao PDR. Source: ADB, Paths to 2015 MDG Priorities in Asia and the Pacific

Many Asian women report experiencing physical violence from their intimate partners - 30% of women in Viet Nam; more than 40% in Bangladesh, Samoa, and Timor-Leste; and more than 60% in Kiribati, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. Source: UNSTATS, UNDP. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India: National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) Volume III

In Pakistan a half kilometer increase in the distance to school will decrease girls' enrolment by 20%. In Afghanistan, Indonesia and several other countries, building local schools in rural communities has led to increases in girls' enrolment rates. Source: UN Women Facts and Figures

If women had the same access to productive resources as men in agriculture, they could increase yields on their farms by 20 - 30 percent. This could raise total agricultural output in developing countries by 2.5 - 4 percent, which could in turn reduce the number of hungry people in the world by 12 - 17 percent. Source: FAO, The State of Food and Agriculture 2010-2011